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June 30, 2008

Jet Black Stare, Endeverafter, Shinedown Set to Rock Riverside

by Sam Savage

By BJ Lewis, Victoria Advocate, Texas

Jun. 30--Classic rock of the future is what Rod Black calls the sound that he and fellow members of Jet Black Stare will bring to the Riverside Convention Center. Also playing the Thursday show will be Endeverafter with Shinedown headlining the show.

Opening for the show is a challenge Black and the band welcome every night.

"We know we're the opening act, we try to not run over time, we have 30 minutes and we play with our heart and soul," Black said. "As an opening band you have an opportunity the headliner has given to you. Be honored with that, learn from it, and have fun."

The band's set will consist of songs off their debut album, "In This Life," which hits stores July 22.

Jet Black Stare was formed in 2007 with Shane Hayes, bass; Flip and Dave Muselman, guitar; and Dan Swinimer, drums.

"A good song is a good song man, simple as that," Black commented on the band's MySpace page.. "I just want to be as a true as I can be to the song, and for me every song has to tell a story."

Two of the band's stories have garnered national attention already. The first single of the album, "Ready to Roll," a rock-charged ode to a muscle car, is set to be the official new theme song for this year's annual WWE Summerslam event.

Another track, "It's Over," will be in the new EA Sports' NASCAR 2009 video game for Play Stations 2 and 3 and X-box 360.

As for what kind of sound the "classic rock of the future" is, Black said it was hard to pinpoint exactly what Jet Black Stare's sound is.

"When you go in the studio, sound comes together," he said. "We knew the vision. We wanted to be honest, the song and the lyrics and melodies were the focal point."

The rest of it is candy for the ears, he said.

Riverside owner, Homer Escalante, said the hope for any of the shows is a sellout.

"Shinedown does have a lot of name recognition," he said. "Some bands you recognize the music before the name. This one, they recognize the name before they recognize the music."

Escalante works closely with KBAR, 100.9 FM on the shows he does.

"We pay attention to what they are playing and what listeners like then cross reference with tours coming through the area," he said. "We do it in conjunction with KBAR. In terms of newer rock they are the ones to go to."

Both Jet Black Stare and Endeverafter have had some of the songs playing in rotation before they were even put on the tour, Escalante said.

Black said he and his bandmates have had a good run so far in Texas playing in Houston and San Antonio and enjoying the hot weather.

"We're just enjoying this, the hospitality, everyone is open-armed," he said. "I love what I do and the band can agree we're very happy to be here."

Bj Lewis is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6535 or [email protected]

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